German threesome

BMW’s i8 electric hybrid supercar made its India debut at the 2014 Auto Expo. Its electric drive, a powerful 131bhp motor, is located on the front axle. The rear axle is driven by BMW TwinPower Turbo 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 231bhp of power. Running only on battery power, the i8 achieves the top speed of 120 km/h with a maximum range of 35 kilometres. In conjunction with the combustion engine the electric motor takes the e-powered supercar to up to 250 km/h. The i8 will go on sale later this year.Est price: R1.3 crore

Audi A3

The much awaited Audi A3 sedan made its debut at the 2014 Auto Expo. Touted as Audi’s smallest sedan offering in the country, it will give the brand a strong shot in its arm due to it stylish exteriors and value proposition for buyers. It will compete with Mercedes-Benz’s CLA class that will be launched here later this year.

It is expected to come with a 1.8-litre TFSI petrol engine and a 2.0-litre diesel motor. The success of the Q3S with a manual gearbox may pave the way for a 6-speed manual transmission for the car as well.Est Price: R22-25 lakh

Mercedes CLA-Class

Mercedes showcased the high performance AMG version (CLA45 AMG) of its CLA-Class sedan at the Auto Expo. The basic version of the CLA-Class is expected to be launched later this year. The CLA will be Mercedes-Benz’s smallest sedan for India and will take the Audi A3 head-on. The four-door sedan has a coupe-like roofline, and looks sporty. The CLA-Class will be propelled by a variety of petrol and diesel engines. Transmission duties will be taken care of by the dual clutch 7-speed DCT auto gearbox, also found on the A and B-Class models. Est price: R24-26 lakh